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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spring — of water
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. degree — temperature
  5. spring — a coil
  6. mate — a partner
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. date — the fruit
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. foot — a measure
  12. degree — from a university
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. snap — to click
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — a stone
  19. degree — an amount
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. spring — the season
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com